Recently an executive director of a nonprofit organization lamented to me, “I just don’t know what to do about our board members. They show up for board meetings, but that’s all they do. I wish I could get them to help me attract new donors…or do ANYTHING, for that matter!” In my career, I’ve discovered that volunteer board members are willing to work hard to support the organizations they lead if they clearly know what is expected of them collectively and individually. Although board job descriptions are essential, they may not be sufficient to ensure that board members fulfill their leadership commitment.
One of the best ways to engage board members and to clarify their level of service is to ask each board member to complete and sign an annual commitment form. A board commitment document outlines specific ways that a board member will contribute to a nonprofit’s success during the organization’s fiscal or calendar year. Areas identified in a board commitment form may include (1) ways they will provide friend-raising and fundraising support; (2) percentage of board meetings they will attend; (3) their officer or committee leadership role; (4) how they will help recruit new board members; (5) their role in evaluating the executive director’s performance and the overall performance of the board; and (6) ways they can support the organization’s programming and direct service efforts.
It’s important for board members to have choices in ways they can fulfill their commitments. For example, instead of requiring each board member to make an annual donation to the organization at a set dollar amount, consider asking each board member to contribute an amount that is personally meaningful to him or her. Another way to include choice is to list four to six different friend-raising and fundraising tasks, such as writing three personal thank you letters, hosting an informal gathering for ten prospective donors, making five thank you phone calls to donors, and providing a quarterly tour of the organization’s facilities for prospective donors, and then ask board members to commit to perform just two of them, based on their preference and comfort level.
According to Lorraine Ashton, president of Teen Services Sonoma’s Board of Directors, “I have become aware of how necessary board commitment forms can be in an overall fund development strategy. Rather than expecting all board members to commit to a set dollar amount, the board commitment form allows for a variety of ways a given board member can participate according to their means, while also committing to any number of the myriad tasks necessary in the whole fund development process.”
Board commitment forms can also be useful to stipulate the percentage of board and committee meetings members will attend, clarify the need to participate in an annual planning retreat, set the expectation that members will take the necessary time to be prepared for each board meeting, identify fiscal and program oversight roles, determine how they will support the organization’s major events, and state ways that members will positively represent the organization in the community.
Board commitment forms are usually created by the board’s governance or executive committee and disseminated to each board member by the board president/chair, often in conjunction with a one-on-one meeting to discuss expectations. After each form is completed and signed, the governance or executive committee keeps track of these forms and is accountable for ensuring that all board members comply with their stated commitments. If it is evident that a board member is not fulfilling his or her agreements, it is usually the responsibility of the board president/chair to work with the board member to either re-define the individual’s role on the board or to come to an agreement that board service may not be a good fit for the board member.
Board commitment forms can reduce the ambiguity of the role each board member will play in leading the organization, increase board members’ accountability to the organization, and eliminate frustration for those executive directors who say their board members aren’t fulfilling their responsibilities.
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